EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF THE CABINET

A Cabinet meeting will be held on Saturday, 9 December, to discuss grievances put forward by Cabinet members in regard to their functions.

The meeting, chaired by SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello, follows a threat to resign by four of the five East Timorese Cabinet members.

In a letter dated 1 December complaining about lack of power and resources, the members stated that they are ready to resign on 15 December unless the legal status of the East Timor Transitional Administration is clearly defined, as well as its institutional relationship with UNTAET.

MILITIA KILLED IN CLASH WITH PEACEKEEPERS

United Nations peacekeeping troops shot dead a suspected militia six kilometers south of Balibo, near the border with Indonesian West Timor last Saturday, 2 December.

Two suspected militia approached an Australian battalion patrol post at about 3.20 p.m. when they were discovered by the Peacekeepers. Shots were fired and one suspect was killed, while the other escaped. The UN force suffered no casualties.

UN troops continue to search the area for other militia.

The shooting followed a day-long search in the vicinity of Balibo for pro-Indonesia militia who fired on two Australian peacekeepers on Friday, wounding one in the thigh.

The injured soldier is being treated in the UN military hospital in Dili. He remains in a stable condition.